My major is music, and the current curriculum includes various classes that provide an understanding of music in the framework of historical and cultural peculiarities. With their help, all students can get detailed information about musicianship and musical theory. As I started to study such subjects, I realized that all the information they give is extremely important for people who are willing to stay in this sphere and develop further.
Thus, I cannot say that one of the classes should be deleted from the curriculum. Still, there is one sphere that interests me and is believed to be significant by professionals but is not studied yet. It is the connection between music and other spheres, such as psychology, politics, economy, etc. Of course, there is no necessity for all students whose major is music to deepen into the peculiarities of every area but receiving general knowledge can be rather beneficial. So I believe that it would be advantageous to add a class “Music and Other Provinces” to the current curriculum of the music major because it can provide students with the general knowledge about other spheres, the way they interact with music and are influenced by it as well as how they shape the music and are reflected in it.
Having a class Music and Other Provinces, students will receive much information critical for their future professions. It is commonly known that nothing in this world exists separately. Even professionals who work in one particular sphere need to take into account the things happening around them. For example, preschool teachers should know medicine and its current tendencies because such a life can save their student’s life.
In the same way, knowing psychology can help music students to work with people if they want to become educators or music therapists. Of course, general information may not always be enough, but it allows bachelors to define what they are willing to do further and provides them with the basic knowledge. Similarly, studying how music and politics are connected can be advantageous. According to Hailey, music compositions often reveal political messages or discuss the situation from a particular point of view, for instance, provide ideological import (134).
At the same time, music can make people act. It affects political movements and can encourage people not to refer to violence. When students get to know such information they will be likely to reconsider the way they treat music and its role in the life of society, at least this happened to me.
Getting to know different spheres interact with music and are influenced by it can help students to determine what to play or compose depending on the expected outcome. When I was planning the evening for Thanksgiving Day and selected particular pieces of music, I needed to get sure that they were appropriate and did not occur chaotically. Thus, I had to deepen into the history and culture. The same knowledge can be required by those students who will organize festivals or school holidays.
Those whose profession will be connected with dancing are likely to be interested in the way new music genres affected the creation of dancing styles. In this way, students will receive the information needed at their working places even before they obtain one.
Jorgensen emphasizes that “society is as much shaped by music as music is shaped by society” (30). So, as professionals, students whose major is music should be able to tell the history of the particular instrument. Knowledge of geography, traditional customs, materials available, and tendencies in the community life can help to explain how the instrument was created and why its sound altered with time. So when adding information from other spheres, students will provide more detailed exhalations appropriate for people they cooperate with.
Finally, the proposed class can be beneficial for the future professions of students because it can enhance the overall knowledge. Employers are willing to hire the most efficient professionals who can successfully interact with co-workers and clients. After this class, students will be able to keep up the conversation about various topics, which is sure to improve their communication skills.
Thus, it can be concluded that Music and Other Provinces can bring benefit to students in the framework of their future professions, as learning about interactions enhances the understanding of the underlying driving forces that shape music, which is critical when working in this sphere. As professionals, they will be able to explain various changes in society’s interests regarding music. Moreover, they will realize the true role of music in the life of society and become more motivated to continue studying.
Finally, this class will enhance personal skills obtained by students. In particular, it will improve their communication skills that are critical at any workplace, and are highly valued. All in all, Music and Other Provinces will make a significant improvement in student’s knowledge, allowing them to cooperate with professionals from other spheres without complications and misunderstandings.
Works Cited
Hailey, Christopher. Music and Nazism; Art under Tyranny, 1933-1945. Music Library Association 61.1 (2004): 134-137. Print.
Jorgensen, Estelle. Transforming Music Education, Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2008. Print.